Dengue is spread through the bite of the female
mosquito(Aedes aegypti). The mosquito
becomes infected when it takes the blood of a person infected with the
virus. After about one week, the mosquito can then transmit the virus
while biting a healthy person. The
mosquito can fly up to 400 meters looking for water-filled containers to lay
their eggs but usually remains close to the human habitation. Aedes aegypti is a daytime feeder: The peak biting periods are early in the
morning and in the evening before dusk.
Dengue cannot be spread directly from person to person. However,
a person infected and suffering from dengue fever can infect other
mosquitoes. Humans are known to carry
the infection from one country to another or from one area to another during
the stage when the virus circulates and reproduces in the blood system Aedes
aegypti has evolved into an intermittent biter and prefers to bite more than
one person during the feeding period. This mechanism has made Aedes aegypti a very highly efficient epidemic
vector mosquito.
